About the Universal Service System

What is Universal Service?

This is a service that is defined by Article 7 of the Telecommunications Business Law as "requiring effort to be provided fairly and stably" as it is essential for the lives of the people and for which service should be provided throughout all of Japan.

The details are stipulated in a ministerial ordinance (Article 14 of the Telecommunications Business Law Enforcement Regulations), and the particulars include the basic fees for subscriber telephones, Type 1 public phones installed from the perspective of providing safety in society and the minimum means of communication outdoors, in addition to calls with outlying islands that are subject to special pricing and emergency numbers such as 110, 118 and 119.

What is the Universal Service System?

This is a system that mandates telecommunications carriers including NTT Communications to bear part of the expenses required for ensuring that universal services such as the subscriber phones, etc. provided by NTT East and NTT West are made available fairly and stably throughout all of Japan. The burden is calculated based on part of the costs for subscriber lines (basic fees) in high-cost regions such as outlying islands and mountainous areas, and the deficit created by Type 1 public phones.

History Behind the Implementation of Universal Service

In the past, universal service providers NTT East and NTT West bore all of the cost required for providing services. However, as it is believed that it will be difficult for NTT East and NTT West to maintain universal service of their own accord due to the decrease in fixed telephones, the spread of mobile phones and IP phones, the advancement of pricing competition, and revisions to basic fees, the system is now supported by all major fixed, mobile, PHS and IP telephone companies including NTT East and NTT West.

Structure of the Universal Service System

Based on the compensation provided to NTT East and NTT West, the Telecommunications Carriers Association, which is the organization supporting universal service, calculates the amount to be paid for each telephone number, and this is determined once approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Based on this unit price per number, telephone companies pay NTT East and NTT West through the organization supporting universal service according to the volume of telephone numbers used by their respective customers.

Customer Fees

In accordance with the intent of this Universal Service System, NTT Communications bills its customers a "Universal Service Fee" of 3 yen(3.24incl. tax) per month1 for each telephone number using those of our services subject to the system 2. We ask for your cooperation and understanding with regard to this matter.

Price per Telephone number since July 2016. This will be revised every six months thereafter.

Customers subscribed to services providing discounts for "calls from mobile phones to fixed phones" using numbers beginning with 0800 in services such as Platinum Line, along with customers subscribed to Freedial.